Introduction
Backing up data regularly is one of the most important things you can do to protect your information. As our world becomes increasingly digital, the amount of data we create and rely on continues to grow. Having a solid backup solution in place ensures that valuable data and memories are not lost forever in the event of hardware failure, ransomware, accidental deletion, natural disasters, or other catastrophic scenarios.
This year, implementing automated backup systems is more crucial than ever. Here are 5 key reasons why automated backups are essential in 2022:
1. The Volume of Data is Exploding
The amount of data we generate and store is expanding rapidly. According to IDC, the global datasphere will grow from 33 zettabytes in 2018 to a staggering 175 zettabytes by 2025. As an individual, the photos, videos, documents, and other media you produce and rely on is also increasing.
Manually backing up huge amounts of data is impractical. Automated backup solutions take the effort out of the process by consistently and efficiently copying your files to a secondary location. This ensures your growing data volumes are fully protected.
2. Ransomware is on the Rise
Ransomware attacks are becoming more common and sophisticated. These types of cyber attacks encrypt files on your computer or network and demand payment to decrypt them. The number of ransomware attacks increased by 105% in 2021 compared to the previous year.
Automated, continuous backups make you less vulnerable to ransom demands. Even if your live data gets encrypted, you can restore previous backups rather than paying the ransom. Automated software gives you versioned copies to roll back to before an attack occurred.
3. Human Error is Unavoidable
According to World Economic Forum, up to 90% of data breaches are caused by human error rather than technical failures. Anybody can accidentally delete the wrong file, forget to save changes, or click on a malicious link. These simple mistakes can be devastating if you don’t have backup copies.
The good news is human error is preventable with automated backup systems. These services continuously save copies of your data behind the scenes. So when a mishap occurs, you can quickly restore older versions of your files.
4. Hardware Will Eventually Fail
No hard drive lasts forever. With frequent use over months and years, hardware components will inevitably start to degrade and fail. Your laptop may refuse to turn on someday, or your desktop’s hard drive could unexpectedly die. Without usable local backups, hardware failure leads to permanent data loss.
Automated backup software doesn’t care if your physical devices fail because your files are simultaneously copied to an external location. You can simply get new hardware and restore from backup. This saves you from losing precious data when components reach end of life.
5. Disasters Can Strike Anywhere
From fires and floods to earthquakes and hurricanes, natural disasters can cause catastrophic data loss. Even a small event like an electrical surge or water leak in your home or office can damage electronics and destroy local files. Automated cloud backup services provide an offsite copy of your data that is safe if disaster strikes your physical location.
Conclusion
In our increasingly digital world, everyone has irreplaceable data worth protecting. Automated backup solutions are a simple and affordable way to fully cover your bases. Rather than trusting manual efforts, leverage technology to do the heavy lifting of safeguarding your files. Implement a set-it-and-forget-it automated backup system this year to sleep better knowing your data is secure.
